Show the Day and Date on the Clock in Windows Vista

By default, Windows Vista displays a clock in the system tray area (or "notification area") of the taskbar. It is possible to customize the taskbar to also show the current day and time next to the clock. This tutorial shows you how quickly get the date, and how to permanently display the day and date next to the clock in Windows Vista.

Quickly show the current day and date

While only the time is visible by default, Windows Vista's clock also contains the current day and date.When your taskbar only shows the current time, you can hover your mouse cursor over the clock, and a callout containing the day and date will pop up. When you move your cursor away from the clock, the day and date disappear.

Always show day, date, and time in the taskbar

But it is also possible to make Windows Vista display both the time and the date at all time: right-click on an empty area of the taskbar, and make sure that the taskbar isn't locked: if the Lock the Taskbar entry in the menu is checked, click on it to unlock the taskbar.

Now move your cursor on the edge of the taskbar: it will become a double-headed arrow, indicating that you can resize the taskbar. Drag upwards, and your taskbar becomes higher; while doing this, notice that as the taskbar gets higher, Windows Vista displays more information in the clock.

You then end up with a higher taskbar that can display two rows of program buttons (instead of one), and that now always displays the current day, date, and time!

Full clock and a vertical taskbar

Another way to achieve the same effect is to move your taskbar to a vertical position, either along the left or the right edge of your screen. To do so, ensure that your taskbar isn't locked, and drag it towards one of the edges of your screen.

Placing your taskbar vertically is a good choice if you have a wide screen, which displays (and often wastes) lots of space horizontally, but can only display a limited amount of information vertically.